Canon has unveiled an interactive site that allows you to use its CE-SAT-1 satellite equipped with a lightly modified 5D Mark III DSLR.
The satellite can grab simulated photos of locations including New York City, the Bahamas and Dubai. So basically, you can click images from space while sitting at home. The camera maker launched the microsatellite in 2017 and held an EOS 5D Mark III camera that’s fitted with a 40 cm Cassegrain-type (mirror) 3720mm telescope.
Canon claims the satellite orbits at a 600 km orbit (375 miles) and provides about a 36-inch ground resolution within a 3×2 mile frame. It also houses a PowerShot S110 for more comprehensive images.
The new website has an interactive demo of the satellite, which takes you through the concept and showcases images clicked from different parts of the world. You can peruse pre-captured photos from a wide variety of locations, including the Bahamas, New York City, San Jose, Alaska, Japan, Antarctica and more.
This is the only catch here. While the users can go to this new website and capture the images, these are not the real-time images but pre-captured shots by the satellite. Each photo shows the location and altitude of the picture. To allow users to capture live images, Canon would need to move the CE-SAT-1 around the Earth at nearly 17,000 miles per hour, circling the globe in just over an hour and a half.
The website is designed to give the feel of satellite imagery. The entire experience is narrated by astronaut Marsha Ivins, who talks about the satellite’s purpose and design.
